Shloka 6

यजुर्वेदशाखाः, याज्ञवल्क्य–वैशम्पायनसंवादः, सूर्यस्तुतिः

Yajurveda branches and Yājñavalkya’s solar revelation

Devanagari script

स्वस्रीयं बालकं सो ऽथ पदा स्पृष्टम् अघातयत्

Transliteration

svasrīyaṃ bālakaṃ so 'tha padā spṛṣṭam aghātayat

Translation

Then he struck down his sister’s young son, for the child had touched him with his foot—deemed a grievous insult under the stern dharma of kings.

Word by Word

• स्वस्रीयम्: sister’s son (nephew)
• स्वस्रीयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वस्रीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘स्वस्रीय’ = स्वसुः अपत्यं (sister’s son)

• बालकम्: boy, child
• बालकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• पदा: with (his) foot
• पदा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्/पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; ‘पदा’ = पादेन

• स्पृष्टम्: touched
• स्पृष्टम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मविशेषणम् (qualifying the object)

• अघातयत्: caused to be struck/killed; killed
• अघातयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिचन्त (causative)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Manvantara-era sage narratives and dharma/adharma consequences (contextual episode around a kingly insult and sin)

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Unchecked kṣātra anger and honor-code can collapse into adharma, producing grievous sin even against kin.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat perceived disrespect with restraint; prioritize dharma and proportionality over ego and status.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is upheld as Bhagavat-priya (pleasing to the Lord); violation incurs binding karma within His moral order.

Characters & Entities

• Sister's son (nephew)

FAQs

What is the significance of this act (punishing the child for touching with the foot) in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights the harsh royal etiquette around honor and insult within dynastic narratives, showing how a single breach could trigger extreme consequences that shape lineage history.

How does Sage Parāśara explain dharma through such dynastic episodes?

By recounting concrete actions and their outcomes in royal families, Parāśara illustrates how personal impulses—anger, pride, vengeance—create karmic turns in the historical flow governed by cosmic order.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames dynastic rise and fall within Vishnu’s overarching sovereignty—worldly power operates inside a larger moral and cosmic governance.